Creative Writing (major)
The Creative Writing Major is that of a artistic, academic outlet taken in universities where the student aspires to have a career dealing with writing in an inspiring fashion in one way or another. This could be through teaching, poetry, journalism, or trying to be the next Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, ect... "Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary tropes." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_writing#Creative_writing_in_academia Basic Information While the major does exist in most colleges, "Creative Writing is frequently listed as a concentration within a broader English major program since opportunities to major specifically in creative writing do not exist at every university or college."https://www.princetonreview.com/Majors.aspx?cip=230501 The major itself exists for the sole purpose of giving the aspiring writers in the generations to come the ability to access their creativity that will serve by entertaining the masses with creative stories, original content, the possibility to create something entirely unique, start a whole new genre, or gear them to teach the children of tomorrow in pursuing their dreams of writing. Not only does this major act as a way of progress towards a career, but it also has become an outlet for students to display their emotions in a healthy environment. Some have even described creative writing as a way to get away from the world as students are to access the depths of their minds in order to consistently expel imagination onto a page. Some say, "Creative writing is a vocation"http://www.english.heacademy.ac.uk/explore/projects/archive/creative/cwstudproj/nar12.php Programs of Study As a student prepares to his or herself to dive into the Creative Writing Major, they have to recognize certain requirements, this including both university requirements to acquire a degree in the major, as well as self requirements they will have to agree to. To attend a university with a Creative Writing Major, a student must first learn the college's programs of study. While it's sometimes looked down upon as a major, it's not known that Creative Writing can be a tough major (or minor) to take on while at a university. As said by Jonathan Fink, a Creative Writing Fellow from Emory University "The writing process teaches you discipline and strength. It ‘toughens’ you in the best sense of the word, allowing you to recognize the possibilities in yourself and the world around you."https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/majors/english-language-literature-creative-writing When it comes to Creative Writing a student can learn an abundance of styles and formats. This includes poetry, a creative outlet with rhymes, freestyle, iambic pentameters, ect... There's also the obvious storytelling, whether it be a short horror tale, or a dramatic novel, creative writing exists all throughout books of all shapes and sizes. Another program of study includes journalism, writing for newspapers, websites, popular blogs, and more. There's also screenplay writers for film and television as well as stage scripts for theatrical plays, musicals, ect... Careers Students have an a plethora of careers to pick and choose from (or take on multiple of) after acquiring a degree in Creative Writing. With the right skill and creative background students can become a writing instructor, columnists, playwrights, songwriters, screenwriters, video game writers, novelists, comic book writers, greeting card authors and more. It's possible to even go into creative consulting as well as advertising and legacy writing (writing bios of people and family histories).http://www.writingforward.com/creative-writing/20-creative-writing-careers All of this comes from practicing and connection. While it's not for everyone, a major in creative writing can become a very lucrative path for those who are both dedicated and skilled with creative talent. "I’m not saying you’re going to make a whole lot to live on with some of these creative writing jobs but if you do what you love, the money (i.e. the success) just might follow. You’ll never know unless you try, right?"http://www.writingforward.com/creative-writing/20-creative-writing-careers References